From: Great Backyard Bird Count [gbbc@cornell.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:36 PM
To: macarone@seton-school.com
Subject: Great Backyard Bird Count Newsletter - Jan. 2010
If you can't see a formatted message and photo, view the web version.

GBBC participant newsletter - January 26, 2010

Mark your calendar!
The 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count is just a few weeks away.

It’s your chance to count for fun and count for the future, from Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15. Whether you participate once or several times, by submitting your list of the birds you see at www.birdcount.org, you will help scientists learn more about how birds are faring in your neighborhood.

Welcome, Bird Studies Canada!

Audubon and the Cornell Lab are delighted to welcome Bird Studies Canada (BSC) as our first international partner for the Great Backyard Bird Count.

“Bird Studies Canada is delighted to be the Canadian partner for this extremely valuable program,” said George Finney, President of BSC. “Participating in the GBBC is an excellent way for Canadians to reconnect with their love of nature and birds.”

Help Make this the Biggest GBBC Ever!

The more people who participate in the GBBC, the better the information scientists will have about how bird populations may be changing over time due to habitat loss, climate change, disease, or other factors. Here are some ways you can encourage family, friends and others in your community to take part and submit lists of their own.

Alert the Media: Send our GBBC news release to your local newspaper, TV, and radio stations. Ask them to put a notice in their calendar sections to remind everyone about the dates.
Tweet about the count! In the weeks leading up to the Great Backyard Bird Count, and during the event, we want everybody to get tweeting on Twitter about what you’re doing to get ready, and what kinds of birds you’re seeing. Just add this “hashtag” to your message: #gbbc (make sure the letters are lower-case; a “hashtag” is simply text you leave at the end of your message). When you add that tag, tweets about GBBC will show up in a special widget on the GBBC home page so we can all share. If you don’t have a Twitter account, it’s free and easy to sign up at http://twitter.com/. It’ll be fun!
Grab a Button: You can grab one or more web buttons from the GBBC website. Use them on your own website or blog, linking others to the GBBC site: www.birdcount.org. Word-of-mouth, (or word-of-web) is what helps GBBC keep growing, so spread the word!
Join a Count Community: GBBC events are taking place around the continent. Discover what's going on in your area on the GBBC website’s Local Events page. If you’re hosting an event, email Pat Leonard at pel27@cornell.edu so your event can be posted on the GBBC website.

Win Great Prizes

Everyone who submits a bird checklist during the GBBC is automatically entered in our drawing for bird-related items donated by Wild Birds Unlimited, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, Woodlink, Droll Yankees, and DK Publishing.

White-throated Sparrow by Jeff Lemons, 2009 GBBC

Brush Up on Your Birds

Check out the GBBC page on identifying sparrows so you can distinguish one “little brown bird” from another.
Print a regional checklist so you know what to look for in your area.
Review the answers to the GBBC’s Frequently Asked Questions to refresh your memory about how to do the count.

Thank you for all you do for the birds!

Janis Dickinson, Director of Citizen Science, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Tom Bancroft, Chief Scientist and Vice-President, National Audubon Society

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Cornell Lab’s website at www.birds.cornell.edu.

Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation. www.audubon.org

Bird Studies Canada (www.birdscanada.org) administers regional, national, and international research and monitoring programs that advance the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of wild birds and their habitats. We are Canada’s national body for bird conservation and science, and we are a non-governmental charitable organization.